RVP Down

Arsene Wenger’s love for International Friendlies is well documented and he has got 1 more reason to step up his love for the same. RVP is down and is out for almost 3 months. It is a major blow for our title aspirations and we@11Gunners look at the available alternatives now..

Robin van Persie has sustained serious ankle ligament damage while on international duty. Van Persie was taken off on a stretcher just 15 minutes into Holland’s friendly 0-0 draw against Italy after being brought down by Giorgio Chiellini while chasing a through ball. The tackle left Van Persie writhing in pain, grasping his right ankle. Coach Bert van Marwijk said after the game:

“The first diagnosis is a bad ankle injury. We are waiting for X-rays in hospital. It’s terrible for Robin and is not good for Holland or his club.”

The Dutchman has been instrumental this season in Arsenal’s quest for silverware. He has payed the role of a solo striker to perfection. He has not been that orthodox striker who just scores goals, he has created as many as he has scored and those numbers are no peanuts. He has scored 7 goals and has 7 assists overall. He has scored the most number of goals this season and his assists are second only to Fab, in terms of number of them. All this should give you an idea of the kind of impact that this Dutchman is capable of (if you don’t have already).

All said and done, what now? WE NEED REINFORCEMENTS. This sounds like panic button but then we don’t have any other option. Chamakh is the one who fits Arsenal’s profile of quality and price both. Chamakh is free to talk to clubs in this January window as his contract runs out after this season. We know that Chamakh will take time to blend into this side but Arsenal has to play a lot of matches this season and he will provide a cover for others, in case there is any further damage. And slowly but steadily he will become a part of this squad. We need to buy this season more than ever as we have made a good start and title aspirations look realistic.

Likes of Vela, Eduardo, etc, are able enough replacements for the time being. Eduardo is now fully fit and raring to go. With the form that he is in now, after having scored a brace for Croatia around the same time Van got injured, it could well turn out to be a blessing in disguise for us. Vela too is nearing full fitness and can be a handful in this offensive Arsenal set-up. So matter how much we will miss Robin, we have people ready to step-up and fight for the cause.

This incident has raised the issue of International Friendlies yet again. The knives will come out again and this issue needs to be addressed once and for all. Matches of insignificance like this does nothing but contribute towards players getting injured, and also encourage unscrupulous elements like Match Fixing, as its results have no bearing, whatsoever. Fifa needs to act on this and act fast. Stop International Friendlies for Christ’s sake.